Martin Makary, the head of the Food and Drug Administration, is under fire from both ends of the ideological spectrum for reportedly pushing back the highly contested safety review of the abortion pill mifepristone.
A handful of national anti-abortion organizations called for the commissioner to be fired this week in the wake of a bombshell report from Bloomberg News. Makary is slow-walking an assessment of mifepristone until after the 2026 midterm elections, the outlet reported Monday, citing people familiar with the review.
Following a pressure campaign from anti-abortion groups, Makary and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced in June that they would conduct a new assessment of mifepristone despite the drug’s 25-year safety record.
Those same anti-abortion groups are now deeply upset that the review is reportedly being delayed. Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, one of the largest anti-abortion groups in the country, called for Makary to be fired.
“Enough is enough: FDA Commissioner Makary should be fired immediately,” Dannenfelser said in a statement. “...Commissioner Makary is severely undermining President Trump and Vice President Vance’s pro-life credentials and their position that states should have the right to enact and enforce pro-life protections. Makary must go.”
